Overhead railway structure for suspended load carrying devices

ABSTRACT

There is provided an overhead railway having two supporting sections, each of which is adapted to carry a track on which running gear is intended to run. The tracks, which are mounted separately to the rail, are provided along the longitudinally extending edges thereof with lips such that in cross-section the tracks obtain a generally S-shaped configuration. The attachment of the tracks to the rail is such that a certain clearance is respectively obtained between the upwardly facing surfaces of the upper lip and the means used to attach the tracks to the rail. The advantage afforded hereby is that lateral deformation of the track caused by the running gear is taken up by the lengthening of said lips.

Umted States Patent 11 1 [111 3,919,946

Laurent Nov. 18, 1975 [5 OVERHEAD RAILWAY STRUCTURE FOR 3,039,401 6/1962Bishop 104/106 x SUSPENDED LOAD CARRYING DEVICES 3,059,588 10/1962Chadenson 104/94 [75] Inventor: Claude Laurent, Ecuelle, France FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Assignegz Aerail Societe [YEtudes et de1,356,455 2/1964 France 104/94 Represfmamm lndustrieues PrimaryExaminerM. Henson 'Wood, Jr. Mecanlques et Metallurglques A A d K hS'ER'LM-Mr Malakofi, France sststant wamznern res as n1 ow Attorney,Agent, or Ftrm-Eyre, Mann & Lucas [22] Filed: June 10, 1974 21 Appl.No.: 478,108 [57] ABSTRACT There is provided an overhead railway havingtwo supporting sections, each of which is adapted to carry a 1 1 ForeignApphcatlon y Data track on which running gear is intended to run. TheJune 12, 1973 France 73.21801 tracks, which are mounted separately tothe rail, are provided along the longitudinally extending edges [52] US.Cl. 104/94 thereof with lips such that in cross-section the tracks [51]Int. C- B61B 3/00; 8618 /22 obtain a generally S-shaped configuration.The attach- [58] Field of Search 104/93-95, ment of the tracks to therail is such that a certain 104/ 106-109, 111, 118, 120, 89, 110, 119,clearance is respectively obtained between the up- 121; /141, 144, 148,150, l52-155, 145, wardly facing surfaces of the upper lip and the means146, 147 used to attach the tracks to the rail. The advantage affordedhereby is that lateral deformation of the track [56] References Citedcaused by the running gear is taken up by the length- UNITED STATESPATENTS ening of sald p 1,876,904 9/1932 Francis 104/107 x 14 Claims, 2Drawing Figures US. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 mdI OVERHEAD RAILWAY STRUCTUREFOR SUSPENDED LOAD CARRYING DEVICES The present invention relates tooverhead railways.

Experience has shown that the running gear of an overhead railwaysystem, for example a roller-mounted monorail carriage, tends to flattenthe fibres in the upper surface of the track and deform the same. Thesefibres, since they cannot extend except toward the outside of the track,ultimately give rise to lateral wear in the track. In addition, at thejoints between the track sections, the repeated impacts of the rollerson the ends of the sections, give rise to longitudinal wear in thetrack. 7

Tracks are known in which the carrier rail comprises two supportingsections upon each of which there is attached a rolling trackindependent of the rail and extended laterally in the form of asubstantially vertical, upper lip. However, these tracks, in the formthey have taken thus far, do not overcome the aforesaid drawbacks.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improvement in thetracks of overhead railways systems, of the kind hereinbefore described,which at least substantially overcomes the said drawbacks.

Accordingly, the invention consists in an overhead railway having a railcomprising two supporting sections each having attached thereto anelongate track, wherein the tracks have located along the longitudinallyextending edges thereof elongate lips which extend substantiallyperpendicular to the long axes of the tracks and wherein attachmentmeans are provided for attaching said tracks to said sections in amanner to provide a clearance between one edge surface of re spectivelips and an opposing surface of respective ones of said attachmentmeans.

In a particular embodiment of the invention in which each of the rollingtracks, in its position of use, is extended laterally by a substantiallyvertical bottom lip, said lip is integral with the rolling track andconstitutes a folded portion thereof, said bottom folded portion beingin contact with the edge of the corresponding supporting portion of therail.

If, as is usual, the supporting rail and the rolling tracks areconstituted respectively by sequentially arranged rail and trackelements, the joints between the rolling track elements are,preferentially, staggered in relation to those between the railelements.

So that the invention will be more readily understood and furtherfeatures thereof made apparent, an overhead railway constructed inaccordance with the invention will now be described by way of exampleonly, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a transverse sectional view of the overhead railway;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on the line ll-II of FIG. 1.

As illustrated in the drawing, the overhead railway comprises asupporting rail 1 formed by two substantially vertical sections Ia eachof which, at its bottom end, has a horizontal inwardly extending portionlb, the two sections being connected to one another by a box sectionmember lc.

An independent rolling track 2, preferably of drawn alloy steel with ahigh elastic limit, is attached to each of the portions 112, whichconstitutes a supporting section for the track with the illustratedembodiment. The

track, in cross section, has a generally S-shaped form, that of its partin contact with the section portion lb being extended, at one of itsends, in the form of a fold 2a which is intended to contact the end ofthe portion 1b, and is extended at its other end in the form of a fold2b, which is intended to be applied against the corresponding sectionportion la. In the present instance, the attachment of the track 2 tothe supporting rail 1 is effected, at spaced locations, by keys 3 whichcontain a milled groove in which there fits with a certain degree ofclearance the fold 2b of a track, the keys being attached to thesections 1b by bolts 4 so that the folds 2b of the tracks are maintainedin contact with said sections.

As will be seen in FIG. 2, the supporting rail 1 and the rolling tracks2 respectively comprise sequentially arranged rail elements and sectionelements; the joints between the track elements 2 are staggered inrelation to those between the rail elements.

When a carriage 5 passes over the tracks 2,'the top fibres in the tracks2 are flattened. However, these tracks are able to extend laterally inboth senses; moreover, any increase in length inwardly will be taken upby their respective folded portion or lip 2a, while an outward increaseis taken up to their respective folded portion or lip 2b, which can moveinto the free space left between it and its respective key. The resultis that in effect their profile is unmodified. In addition, the staggerbetween the joints in the track sections, and those in the supportingelements, improves the continuity and eliminates shock effects.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a particularembodiment thereof, it is not restricted thereto, but can be modifiedwithin the scope of the following claims.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

1. An overhead railway structure for suspended load carrying deviceshaving a rail comprising two supporting sections each having attachedthereto an elongate track, wherein the tracks have located along thelongitudinally extending edges thereof elongate lips which extendsubstantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the tracks andwherein attachment means are provided for attaching said tracks to saidsections in a manner to provide a clearance between one edge surface ofrespective lips and an opposing surface of respective ones of saidattachment means.

2. An overhead railway structure for suspended load carrying devices asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said lips are formed integrally with thetracks and wherein a respective side surface of said lips is in contactrespectively with an adjacent surface on said section.

3. An overhead railway structure for suspended load carrying devices asclaimed in claim 1 wherein each of said tracks has two lips formed suchthat, in cross-section, said track has a generally S-shapedconfiguration.

4. An overhead railway structure for suspended load carrying devices asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the sec tions and the tracks compriserespectively section elements and track elements arranged one after theother in superposed relationship; and wherein the joints betweenrespective track elements are staggered in relation to those betweenrespective section elements.

5. An overhead railway structure for suspended load carrying devices asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the tracks are attached to the supportingsections by a 3 number of spaced keys.

6. An overhead railway structure for suspended load carrying devices asclaimed in claim 2 wherein each of said tracks has two lips formed suchthat, in cross-section, said trackhas a generally S-shapedconfiguration.

7. An overhead railway structure for suspended load carrying devices asclaimed in claim 2, wherein said lips are formed integrally with thetracks and wherein a respective side surface of said lips is in contactrespectively with an adjacent surface on said section.

8. An overhead railway structure for suspended load carrying devices asclaimed in claim 3, wherein the sections and the tracks compriserespectively section elements and track elements arranged one after theother in superposed relationship; and wherein the joints between trackelements are staggered in relation to those between respective sectionelements.

9. An overhead railway structure for suspended load carrying devices asclaimed in claim 2, wherein the tracks are attached to the supportingsections by a number of spaced keys.

. 4 10. An overhead railway structure for suspended load carryingdevices as claimed in claim 3, wherein the tracks are attached to thesupporting sections by a number of spaced keys.

11. An overhead railway structure for suspended load carrying devices asclaimed in claim 4, wherein the number of spaced keys.

1. An overhead railway structure for suspended load carrying deviceshaving a rail comprising two supporting sections each having attachedthereto an elongate track, wherein the tracks have located along thelongitudinally extending edges thereof elongate lips which extendsubstantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the tracks andwherein attachment means are provided for attaching said tracks to saidsections in a manner to provide a clearance between one edge surface ofrespective lips and an opposing surface of respective ones of saidattachment means.
 2. An overhead railway structure for suspended loadcarrying devices as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lips are formedintegrally with the tracks and wherein a respective side surface of saidlips is in contact respectively with an adjacent surface on saidsection.
 3. An overhead railway structure for suspended load carryingdevices as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said tracks has two lipsformed such that, in cross-section, said track has a generally S-shapedconfiguration.
 4. An overhead railway structure for suspended loadcarrying devices as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sections and thetracks comprise respectively section elements and track elementsarranged one after the other in superposed relationship; and wherein thejoints betweeN respective track elements are staggered in relation tothose between respective section elements.
 5. An overhead railwaystructure for suspended load carrying devices as claimed in claim 1,wherein the tracks are attached to the supporting sections by a numberof spaced keys.
 6. An overhead railway structure for suspended loadcarrying devices as claimed in claim 2 wherein each of said tracks hastwo lips formed such that, in cross-section, said track has a generallyS-shaped configuration.
 7. An overhead railway structure for suspendedload carrying devices as claimed in claim 2, wherein said lips areformed integrally with the tracks and wherein a respective side surfaceof said lips is in contact respectively with an adjacent surface on saidsection.
 8. An overhead railway structure for suspended load carryingdevices as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sections and the trackscomprise respectively section elements and track elements arranged oneafter the other in superposed relationship; and wherein the jointsbetween track elements are staggered in relation to those betweenrespective section elements.
 9. An overhead railway structure forsuspended load carrying devices as claimed in claim 2, wherein thetracks are attached to the supporting sections by a number of spacedkeys.
 10. An overhead railway structure for suspended load carryingdevices as claimed in claim 3, wherein the tracks are attached to thesupporting sections by a number of spaced keys.
 11. An overhead railwaystructure for suspended load carrying devices as claimed in claim 4,wherein the tracks are attached to the supporting sections by a numberof spaced keys.
 12. An overhead railway structure for suspended loadcarrying devices as claimed in claim 6, wherein the tracks are attachedto the supporting sections by a number of spaced keys.
 13. An overheadrailway structure for suspended load carrying devices as claimed inclaim 7, wherein the tracks are attached to the supporting sections by anumber of spaced keys.
 14. An overhead railway structure for suspendedload carrying devices as claimed in claim 8, wherein the tracks areattached to the supporting sections by a number of spaced keys.